This invention is in the field of animal traps and in particular such traps which are safe for animals and people.
Animals can be a nuisance to and bother to people and their property. Beavers for instance cause major damage to trees, as well as interfering with natural drainage, causing flooding and so forth. It has become common to trap nuisance animals for removal from populated or other sensitive areas.
In the past leg hold traps were used for trapping fur, such as beaver, muskrat, otter, lynx and so forth. These traps are cruel to animals and are no longer in general use. These traps are also very dangerous where people and pets can accidentally spring the trap.
More recently animal traps have been developed which capture the animal with little or no injury, however these traps commonly incorporate a powerful bias element such as a spring or the like to xe2x80x9cspringxe2x80x9d the trap and capture the animal. These powerfully biased traps are dangerous to use in populated areas. As well they can injure the animal that springs the trap, or a second animal partially caught when a first springs the trap. Further such traps commonly restrain the animal""s movement, causing stress to it.
Present box traps are open at one end, with sides that are fixed in place. The entry is thus restricted to the entrance end. Animals can also be reluctant to enter such an enclosed space.
Trap triggers may be operated by placing them in the likely path of an animal such that the animal trips the trap when passing. For example, traps are commonly set for beaver in breaches formed in the top of a dam such that water flows out. The beaver approaches the breach in order to repair it, and is trapped. For similar reasons traps are also set at the intake to culverts where water runs under a road or the like.
Also it is common to bait the trigger such that when the animal pulls on the bait, the trap is tripped. The trigger for paths or bait is commonly a different mechanism in conventional traps.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a gravity operated animal trap that is safe to use in populated areas.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a trap that is at least partially open on the sides to reduce the reluctance of the animal to enter the trap.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a trap that causes reduced stress to an animal caught in the trap.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a trap where the trigger operates when pushed or pulled, or alternatively operates when moved in any direction.
The invention provides, in one aspect, an animal trap comprising a base including front, rear, left, and right edges and a cage having an open bottom generally cooperating with and resting on the base when in a closed position to form an enclosure. A lower front edge of the cage is pivotally attached to the front edge of the base such that a rear end of the cage may be raised with respect to the base to an open position. A latch is operable to maintain the cage in the open position or the closed position, and a trigger is located in proximity to the center of the front end of the enclosure and is operable to release the latch and allow the cage to fall from the open position to the closed position when the trigger is moved in a forward or rear ward direction.